Improvement in nail-counters



W. F; DANIEL. Nail-Counter.

No. 222,816. Patent'ed Dec."23,1879. I

A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. DANIEL, OF MOUNT VERNON, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN NAIL-COUNTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,816, dated December 23, 1879; application filed June 17, 1879. I

To all whom "it may concern:

into recesses formed in a store-counter, having trunnions on their sides which enter and are journaled in curved slots formed in the uprights or partitions which separate the said recesses, said bins being also provided with offsets at their bottoms to'abut against the strips or skirting of the counter, aswill be hereinafter fully described.

In my drawings, Figure I is a perspective View of my counter with several bins or re ceptacles in place. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the counter. Fig. 3 shows a bucket, rectangular in general form. band with trunnions, hereinafter to be described. Fig. 5 shows a metal box with a bulging front, forming a chute.

Similar reference-letters indicate like parts in all of the figures.

It has been the custom heretofore in retailing nails, to have them stored under storecounters in the ordinary nail-kegs, from which,

from time to time, they would be taken out with grab-tongs or the fingers and conveyed to the scales. This means of handling is well known, and is attended with considerable inconvenience and loss of time, not to, sayin-' jury to the hands of the clerk.

Bins of the ordinary form have also been used which have answered the purpose to economize.storage-room, but having no speeial advantages for handling the article above the ordinary kegs.

My invention is made especially to facilitate the handling of this rough heavy article,

which I am sure will be appreciated by those in the trade. Referring to drawings, A A are uprights placed at the end of an ordinary counter or table, provided with segmental or curved slots at a.

Partitions A, placed at suitable intervals within the counter, are similar in form to the uprightsA, and are also provided with grooves a. Between the uprights or partitions A A spaces are formed to receive bins or recepta- Fig. 4 shows a metal cles B. These bins are provided with trunnions a, which are placed below the center of gravity of said bins to form pivots to support them when in position.

At the bottoms of the bins B offsets c are formed-to bear against the skirt-ing of the counter when said bins are in vertical posi tion.

The skirting-strips D or F serve to prevent the bins from being thrown back to empty the nails within the counter. The one, F, is placed against the uprights and partitions of the counter a distance above the floor to allow a free movement to the feet of the salesrnan behind the counter.

In placing the bins iirtheir'recesses their trunnions are slid into the curved slots provided for find their bearings at thebottoms of said grooves, and then revolve about their axes until their ofl'sets a bear against the strip-or skirting of the counter. The trunnions being below the center of gravity, the bin is rendered easy to be handled even when it is nearly empty, as the greater leverage is at the upper part. a i

My bins are constructed, preferably of wood,

and in two forms-via, first, like B, whichis' rectangular with its inner front edge beveled to facilitate the dropping of the nails when said bin is turned down. The one marked G, shown in Fig. 5, is formed of metal, with its back corners curved, and its front vertical wall thrown out to form an inclined plane or apron to allow the nails to shoot forward.

Fig. 4 of the drawings shows a metal ring or band provided with trunnions adapted to slide into the slots at of the partitions. Into this ring an ordinary keg may be slipped and used in my counter as a convenient substitute for the bins.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire ters Patent, is-

w The bins B,recta1'1gnlar in general form, adapted to fit into the recesses described, and provided with trunnions a and offsets c, in combination with the counter described provided with uprights or partitions A A, with curved or segmental slots to, as specified.

WILLIAM F. DANIEL.

Witnesses G. P. PACE, JEREMIAH TAYLER.

them, and forced back until they to secure by Let- 

